CIAM – how to ensure the ease of use and data security

Today, enterprises develop and offer their customers and partners more and more applications and systems that require logging in. However, users appreciate ease and convenience. They do not want to fill in long forms or type in their data again each time or to give consents to the use of such data. The easy and quick solution is provided by the Customer Identity and Access Management tools.

Thanks to the CIAM systems delivered by technology partners, companies do not have to build their own in-house solutions for user authentication. Furthermore, the responsibility for data security is also shared. Instead, companies implement tested tools that enable quick sign-on and protect against cyberattacks.

We recommend Auth0 Identity Platform to our customers. It is an authentication server which allows developers to connect an application written in any language with external tools for digital identity verification such as Facebook, Microsoft, Google or a company’s internal bases. It is also a platform for managing the sign-on process and its security. As a result, the owner of the application and quickly and securely confirm the identity of the person who logs in, says Krzysztof Andrian, CEO at Concept Data.

What can one demand from a CIAM system?

The best CIAM systems bring even more advantages. First of all, they are scalable, which means they can support a growing customer base. Secondly, they enable the Single Sign-On (SSO) option, which means one can get access to multiple applications after sign-on to one service. Moreover, they allow users to log into various applications with the credentials they use to access popular social media platforms (e.g. Facebook or Google).

Thirdly, they provide the MFA (multi-factor authentication) option which requires users to additionally confirm their identity. Last but not least, they can become a company’s central repository of customer information. This information is structured and complete, as it comes from many different applications.

The CIAM systems bring benefits to the company that implements this solution, but also to users, e.g. customers of banks, medical centres or online stores. By using such a tool, consumers can rest assured with regards to their security. They do not have to provide their data to many different enterprises, they do not have to worry about their data security and they decide about the consents they give and to whom, adds Krzysztof Andrian.

Business benefits of the CIAM implementation

The implementation of a well-prepared CIAM system translates into customer satisfaction and improved customer relations, but it also ensures secure business that complies with regulations.

Data security

Customer data can be the greatest business asset provided that there is no unauthorised access. Effective CIAM solutions protect data against fraud, breaches and improper use. They also encrypt and anonymise data to prevent attacks by cyberthieves. CIAM systems monitor who gets access to customer data and warn administrators about any kind of suspicious activity.

Compliance with regulations

Data privacy regulations such as the GDPR have significantly changed the principles of collecting, storing and sharing personal data by organisations. Today, centralised user management is an absolute necessity. To comply with the GDPR, companies must be able to provide users with copies of their data, should users demand this, along with the information about the use of their data. Another crucial aspect is that data must be encrypted and the access to data should be strictly controlled. CIAM solutions help to meet these requirements and to adjust data collection and consent management practices to relevant regulations.

Customer information and customer comfort

Today, consumers value their time above all and do not want to waste it on completing registration forms. When customers have the possibility to log into a new service by using their social media account, they do not need to remember any new passwords and get smooth access to the application they want. In turn, companies benefit from sharing information with the social media provider by automatically learning about the customer’s location, time zone, language and other details which support the selling process.

The digital transformation forces enterprises to invest more time and resources into managing the access to their customer data. CIAM solutions can help them organise the process as well as safeguard digital identities and improve customer relations.

More on data security:

Rethink cybersecurity. The Zero Trust evolution

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Secure cloud controlling privileges via CyberArk Cloud Entitlements Manager

Secure DevOps environment. Benefits of implementing CyberArk Dynamic Access Provider